Tips For Breaking Into Freelance Writing

If you’re looking to enter the freelance writing market, then there are many factors to consider before taking the leap. How do you get jobs? Where can you market your skills? How do you charge for your work? How much can you make? Freelance writing can be rewarding and lucrative. Or, it can be frustrating and the equivalent of slave labor. The difference between the two is the amount of preparation you put into your new career. Here are some tips to help you start freelance writing: Define your niche If you’re hiring a writer for an education blog, who would you choose: a writer who specializes in writing about education or a writer who writes about sports, coding, Japanese cuisine, fashion and education? While it may seem like a good idea to branch out and explore writing about all your different areas of interest. In fact, the best way to start freelance writing is to define yourself as an expert in a specific area. The more focused your writing is in the beginning, the easier it will be for you to market yourself in that niche. The more you write on one subject, the greater your credibility becomes. Being a jack-of-all-trades isn’t the best way to catch the attention of publishers for a nascent freelancer. Focus on one area and see what that yields first. What do you offer? Are you the fastest content writer on the web? Can you meet crushing deadlines in a single afternoon? Are you a highly skilled researcher who unearths credible and interesting facts that defy the skills of other writers out there? Have you written any viral posts? Are you considered a thought leader in a certain area? Start to think about the market value of your skills. If you’re lucky enough to have a gaggle of writer friends, ask them to help you define these skill areas. Writers are great at identifying other writer’s strengths. Start a blog If you don’t have any published work to show, then write a blog. It’s the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to get published and start building your credentials as a writer. Make sure your blog is focused on your niche. If you have a blog with a lot of posts, you may want to include links to your most successful or most relevant posts when sending out writing samples. Get a website If you have a fair amount of writing to show off already, then it may be worth investing in a website. A writer who has invested in a website has also invested in their professional life as a writer. It’s where you’ll include samples and links to your writing, highlight your skills and include testimonials and reviews. You’ll also list your rates there. Learn to pitch This is the essence of freelance writing and it’s the difference between a successful freelancer and an unsuccessful one. The more you pitch, the better you get at it. Pitching is about the math. Keep sending out pitches and don’t stop. It may seem intimidating at first or perhaps you’re scared of rejection. Overcome those feelings, and they will completely evaporate when you get your first Yes. Tips for a good pitch: Do research and craft your message to reflect the style and concept of the site, journal or magazine you want to be published in. Be specific and brief. Long-winded pitches will probably not be read until the end. Make sure the most important information is in the beginning of the pitch and that it captures the essence of your idea. Let them know who you are and where they can find out more about you by including links to websites, blogs and other published work. If you don’t hear back after two weeks, send out a brief follow-up message, summarizing your initial pitch. Decide how and how much to charge This can be the most confusing part of breaking into a freelance writing career: how much should you charge? How should you charge: by hour or by piece? Do different kinds of writing demand different prices? Luckily, Writer’s Market publishes a fee guide for writers. It’s one of the most useful price guides for writers out there. There’s also the question of when you should charge. You should definitely receive a payment before you start ghost-writing a book. However it’s common to get paid after the work has been delivered for web content and print articles. Don’t accept low wages for your writing. It won’t be worth it financially and may demoralize you. Many websites offer abysmally low wages for articles. But that doesn’t mean you have to accept it. Hold out for the higher paying jobs. They’re out there. Accepting low wages is kind of like ending up flipping burgers at McDonald’s when you expected to be head chef at a Michelin starred restaurant. Be financially prepared Make sure you set realistic goals about your potential earnings as a freelance writer. It’s possible to make six figures as a freelancer, but it takes time and dedication. And you probably won’t be earning this your first year in, nor your second. If you’re trying to take a serious step into a new career as a freelancer, it’s best if you have some savings set aside while you climb the learning curve. In the beginning, you’re more likely to have trouble charging clients or getting paid. You will also go through some awkward phases where you take on too much or too little work and your income may feel a little bit like a roller-coaster. With time, you can start to smooth out the fluctuations and have a stable income.

Key Success Factors Essays

Key Success Factors Essays Key Success Factors Essay Key Success Factors Essay Key Success Factors in the Low Cost Carrier Industry Key Success Factors in the Low Cost Airline Business: Low cost airlines strive to meet the basic demand of airline customers a safe air transport from one location to another location at a relatively low price. In order to be successful, they have to carry out their business from a certain value-based perspective â€Å"less for much less† – and concentrate their attention on the following Key Success Factors of their industry: Overall low costs: Overall low costs are essential to be able to offer cheap fares. They are achieved by several cost-cutting business practices such as: Point-to-point services (no waiting for baggage or passenger transfers, less complexity) Cheaper product design (no free food or drinks, no newspapers) Standardized fleet (lower aircraft capital outlay, lower training costs, cheaper parts equipment supply, lower maintenance costs) Use of secondary airports (lower charges) Direct Sales via Internet as main distribution channel (less travel agent fees) High operational efficiency: High aircraft utilization is crucial to maximize the profits of the airline. Hence, quick turnaround times at the gates are required to reduce the time on the ground, where aircrafts do not make profits. Moreover, maintaining a high passenger load is important to spread fixed costs, increase staff productivity and overall profitability.   High core service standards: In contrast to certain ancillary services such as free food and beverages, high core service standards such as safety, reliability (punctuality, reliable baggage delivery) and customer support are fundamental for customer satisfaction. Most importantly, safety problems and safety concerns have to be avoided. They have a particularly bad effect on low cost airlines, since a trade of between low prices and air travel safety will be suspected. Strong direct sales capability via the Internet: Whilst being the cheapest channel for ticket sales, the Internet is also easily accessible for a growing number of (potential) costumers. In order to be successful, the homepage of the airline has to be well-know (marketing efforts have to direct the attention of the people on the web-page), user-friendly and has to guarantee a smooth booking process.

Dean Corll and The Candy Man Murders

Dean Corll and 'The Candy Man' Murders Dean Corll was a 33-year-old electrician living in Houston who, with two teen accomplices, kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered at least 27 young boys in Houston in the early 1970s. The Candy Man Murders, as the case was called, was one of the most horrific series of murders in U.S. history. Corlls Childhood Years Corll was born on Christmas Eve in 1939 in Fort Wayne, Ind. After his parents divorced, he and his brother, Stanley, moved with their mother to Houston. Corll seemed to adjust to the change, doing well in school and described by his teachers as polite and well-behaved. In 1964, Corll was drafted into the military but received a hardship discharge a year later to help his mother with her candy business. He earned the nickname The Candy Man because he often treated children to free candy. After the business closed, his mother moved to Colorado and Corll began training as an electrician. An Odd Trio There was nothing remarkable about Corll except his odd choice of friends, mostly young male teens. Two were particularly close to Corll: Elmer Wayne Henley and David Brooks. They hung around Corlls house or rode in his van until Aug. 8,  1973, when Henley shot and killed Corll at his home. When police interviewed Henley about the shooting and searched Corlls home, a bizarre, brutal story of torture, rape, and murder emerged, called The Candy Man Murders. During police interrogation, Henley said Corll paid him $200 or more per head to lure young boys to his house. Most were from low-income neighborhoods, easily persuaded to come to a party with free alcohol and drugs. Many were Henleys childhood friends and trusted him. But once inside Corlls home, they become victims of his sadistic, murderous obsessions. The Torture Chamber Police found a bedroom at Corlls house that appeared to have been designed for torture and murder, including a board with handcuffs attached, ropes, a large dildo, and plastic covering the carpet. Henley told police that hed infuriated Corll by bringing his girlfriend and another friend, Tim Kerley, to the house. They drank and did drugs, and all fell asleep. When Henley awoke, his feet were bound and Corll was handcuffing him to his torture board.  His girlfriend and Tim also were bound, with electrical tape over their mouths. Henley knew what would follow, having witnessed this scenario before. He convinced Corll to free him by promising to participate in the torture and murder of his friends. Then he followed Corlls instructions, including attempting to rape the young woman. Meanwhile, Corll was trying to rape Tim, but he fought so much that Corll became frustrated and left the room. Henley grabbed Corlls gun, which hed left behind. When Corll returned, Henley shot him six times, killing him. Burial Grounds Henley readily talked about his part in the murderous activity and led police to the victims burial sites. At the first location, a boat shed Corll rented in southwest Houston, police uncovered the remains of 17 boys. Ten more were found at other sites in or near Houston. Altogether, 27 bodies were recovered. Examinations revealed that some boys had been shot while others were strangled. Signs of torture were visible, including castration, objects inserted into victims rectums, and glass rods pushed into their urethras. All had been sodomized. Community Outcry Houston police were criticized for failing to investigate missing persons reports filed by the dead boys parents. The police viewed most reports as probable runaways, although many came from the same area. Their ages ranged from 9 to 21; most were in their teens. Two families lost two sons to Corlls rage. Henley confessed to knowing about Corlls brutal crimes and participating in one murder. Brooks, although closer to Corll than Henley, told police he had no knowledge of the crimes. Following the investigation, Henley insisted three more boys had been murdered, but their bodies were never found. In a highly publicized trial, Brooks was convicted of one murder and sentenced to life in prison. Henley was convicted of six murders and received six 99-year terms. Killing The Candy Man was judged an act of self-defense.   Source Olsen, Jack.  The Man With the Candy: the Story of the Houston Mass Murders. Simon Schuster (P), 2001.

Marketing Plan for Tourism Destination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Plan for Tourism Destination - Essay Example Kenya, one of the countries in East African region, has for decades now proved to be one of the world’s best tourism destinations. It is widely to be having game reserves and national parks that keep some of the world’s biggest wildlife such as wildebeests, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, hippopotamus, camels, lions, cheetahs, zebras among other numerous interesting wild animals which attract tourists. Apart from the wild animals, the country is also rich in clean and plenty of nice beaches along its coastline with nice hotels and sun bathing facilities where both international and domestic tourists prefer to spend their holidays at. The great wildebeest migration which also takes place for three consecutive months each year also happens to be one of the largest tourist attractions products in Kenya. The tourism industry of Kenya has recently largely expanded given the good and warm cordial relations that the country has with both the neighboring countries as well as other countries abroad. However, following the recent Westgate Mall terrorist attack that took place in the Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, the country’s tourism industry has largely been affected (James, 2013). This season being a high season for the tourism industry, most of the hotels currently record at most 25% their normal capacity. This is not as expected for all high seasons for tourism in this country where more hotels would be recording close to 95% their normal capacity on a daily basis. This marketing plan is therefore aimed at restructuring the Kenya’s tourism Industry and ensuring that tourists are assured of their security so that the tourism industry can recover from this big blow.

Banking Regulation and Risk Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Banking Regulation and Risk - Coursework Example The debit and credit cards are also offered to the customers depending on the kind of services they need from the institutions. Finance is a crucial sector in the field of financing which is the funding to the customers in order for them to be successful in life. It is also logic that the customers need techniques for them to manage their financial activities. When I say about banking, it is the financial institutions that are working on different kinds of business. For one to understand the challenges and risks of banking, it is good to understand the types of business involved in the banking system. This depends on the type of banks running the business whereby some banks carry out different functions depending on the size of the bank. Some banks are large and offer a large number of services to the customers which have complex functions that are more specialized. It is not all the banks that have same financial activities and functions but they vary depending on the kind of services the customers need. Banking is usually divided in the following types; It is a bank that deals with the maintenance of the country’s economy. Without the central bank the country can not have a stable economy. The banks normally deal with the circulation of the buying and selling currencies in the country and it controls the interest rates of the amounts. The bank also acts as the last resort lender to other banks when they face trouble. It is a bank that is separate from other banks in the country. Retail banks are the banks at the streets where many people in the country access the banks. The banks collect deposits from the customers and give saving facilities to them and they pay interests on the accounts. The banks also lend the customers with money and charge them a certain amount of interest depending on the rates. the banks also provide other services to the customers. This are banks that have

Definitions of events management Essay Example for Free

Definitions of events management Essay Events management can be said to have emerged from the increasing commercialisation of popular celebrations, from big affairs such as concerts to small and private gatherings. Bowdin, et al. explained that in certain historical aspects, the increasing importance of events were noted because of the benefits they bring as enumerated through its purpose and objectives. An example noted by the authors were the emergence of the industry as encouraged by political and religious reasons; this happened in the United Kingdom where exhibitions became a popular event that it needed to be sustained. The approach to the sustainability of events, especially as this would lead to the formation of an industry, would then become integral to the management requirements of this practice. Across the world, the management of events would become a more formal approach in organizing festivals and other festivities. Bowdin, et al. therefore presented the following definition of events as follows (14): â€Å"[†¦] anything which happens; result; any incidence or occurrence esp (sic) a memorable one; contingency or possibility of occurrence; an item in a programme (of sports, etc.); A type of horseriding competition, often held over three days (three-day event) consisting of three sections ie dressage, cross country riding and show jumping; fortune or fate (obs); an organized activity at a particular venue, eg. for sales promotion or fundraising. † Based on these definitions, the events that fall under event management are applicable in all aspects. Basically, the last definitiion, â€Å"an organized activity at a particular venue, eg. for sales promotion or fundraising† (14) can be said to already encompass what an event is. However, it should be also noted that the fundamentals of events management also refers to the uniqueness of the event, hence, it is memorable. At the same time, an event may have many sub-events such as â€Å"items†. Last but not the least, as based on the cited definition, an event also includes contingency or possibility of occurrence. This therefore brings up the aspect of events management in which case it is not just about ensuring that the event takes place, but also the management formalises the event in a sense that it is defined by a specific strategy. As previously mentioned, an event in the events management context becomes a project; in this case, the aspects of project management is applied. It is initially important to define what a project is, and according to Bowdin, et al, (267), an event as a project â€Å"produces an asset [†¦] the asset is the ultimate deliverable of the project. The management is the planning, the organizing, leading, and controlling of the project†. Hence, based on these, Bowdin, et al. presented the definition of event management in the following (267): â€Å"The project management of events concentrates on the management process to create the event, not just what happens at the event [†¦] (it) is called the overlay as it integrates all the tasks of management. Event management is made up of a number of management areas including planning, leading, marketing, design, control and budgeting, risk management, logistics, staging and evaluation. Each of these areas continuously affect each other over the event life cycle†. Shone and Parry, furthermore, mentioned that in order for an event to be managed in a similar context, the event has to be â€Å"special†; based on this, the authors presented the following pointing out the definitions of events that are managed: †¢ Leisure events (leisure, sport recreation) †¢ Personal events (weddings, birthdays, anniversaries) †¢ organisational events (commercial, political, charitable, sales) †¢ cultural (ceremonial, sacred, heritage, art, folklore) The Events Management Concept and Practice Event management is therefore a discipline and a practice. There are many concepts and aspects of event management that needs to be considered especially among those who specialise in certain components of the practice. One of the common perceptions of event management is its dimension as a coordinating activities. Silvers (28) mentioned that in event coordination, the coordinators visualise, organise and synchronise the different elements of an event. In addition, in event coordination, the coordinator also identifies the purpose, scope and the program of the event by means of identifying its intent, extent, and content. Another important point raised by Silvers (28) is that, in agreement with the past discussions on the nature of event management as similar or related to project management, the author also further mentioned the processes involved both in the coordination and the management of events. These aspects, for instance, is through the discussion on the Project Scope (28-29): †¢ Identifying the needs and requirements of the event including the definition of its purpose and the expected outcomes †¢ the description of the product as spelled out by the type of event †¢ product analysis or the identification of the components of the product †¢ the feasibility of the product as based on the analysis of the resources From these, the event becomes more definite through the design of a Work Breakdown Structure and Activity Schedule (29). Another important approach in event management can be considered in the perceptions of the customers, competition and the sponsors. Silvers discussed the aspect of the consumers and the competition. According to the author, the customers make up the â€Å"marketing realm† of the event (30). Hence, it is important to identify a target segment because this helps in the design of the event, from its scope to its marketing to its implementation. Silvers also discussed the competition; for cases such as bars and clubs, any weekend night poses a great amount of competition for any establishment holding an event that night. As the author stressed, it is significant that the bar or club is aware what kind of other events that will take place in another establishment. It is therefore in the strategy of the club or bar owner, along with its hired events specialist, to determine how to best approach competition.

Essay on Freedom in Chopin’s Story of an Hour and Gilman’s Turned

Freedom in Chopin’s Story of an Hour and Gilman’s Turned  Ã‚     In â€Å"Turned,† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† by Kate Chopin, two female protagonists gradually reject and overcome their socially constructed and internalized female consciousness’. These changes of heart happen when horrific events that relate to both the characters’ husbands occur. The women are then forced to define themselves as individuals rather than relying on their mates, their families, and their households to give them meaning. Their life-changing realizations are shown through the environments surrounding them and through suggestive water images. In these pieces, the female mind and thought process is dissected to show how these women discover their complex and somewhat hypocritical social positions. Both protagonists are finally able to comprehend the weight of their roles as wives and as women in their confining societies. Through their new found understanding, they are forced to see the idle and petty li ves they have been living to attain the other’s acceptance. In effect, the characters attempt to renounce their oppressed female roles and adopt lifestyles of their own.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The â€Å"turns† that transpire in these feminist works are suggested in the environment that the females live in. Their surroundings not only imply a change of lifestyle, but indicate a shift in the tone of the stories. Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† opens with Mrs. Mallard receiving word of her husband’s death through her sister. With the tragic news hovering inside her head, Mrs. Mallard withdraws up to her room to be alone. Her room becomes a retreat to her; she is able to peer down on society without participating in it as well as contemplate her n... ... of femininity and of marriage. Achieving independence, although it may result in one’s death or may cause one to be an outcast in society, becomes the ultimate objective of Mrs. Mallard and Mrs. Marroner.    Works Cited and Consulted Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." In Literature and Its Writers: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters, Eds. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. Martin, Wendy, ed. "Introduction." New Essays on The Story of an Hour. New York, NY: Cambridge UP, 1998.    Beer, Janet. Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Studies in Short Fiction. NY: St. Martin's P, 1997. Knight, Denise D. Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Study of the Short Fiction. Boston: Twayne, 1997. Lane, Ann J. To Herland and Beyond: The Life and Work of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. NY: Pantheon Books, 1990.